A flat links on the Wirrall

I had heard a lot about the course and not all of it was positive. This was said to be a different style of links course from the other Open courses in England. Birkdale and St. George’s have picturesque holes framed within the dunes and Lytham has unique bunkering and elevation changes. For some reason, the other three have a rather more romantic feel to them. Royal Liverpool (or Hoylake), in contrast, is flat and rugged. They all have one thing in common, however: they are all extremely tough.

It is perhaps therefore unsurprising that it had not been at the top of my list of courses to play. That changed this summer, however, mainly due to the splendid Instagram stories posted by the Stag Links Society. These short videos showed the course which they call “The Elysian Fields” at its finest. I was captivated and very keen to go and play. It did not take long for me to conjure up a trip and even shorter to find three others to join me.

The course and the club did not disappoint. It was not the glorious sunshine which we had enjoyed the day before at Formby, but it was warm and the wind was not too strong. We had all enjoyed Formby, but this was an altogether different test. We were treated incredibly well, the course was running true and firm and the match went down to the 17th. What more could you want?

A warm welcome

Royal Liverpool release a very limited number of tee times on Sunday afternoons across the summer. I followed these from quite early in the year and on selected Sundays 3 or maybe 4 tee times were shown as available on the website. This immediately differentiates the club from Birkdale, Royal St. George’s and lots of other clubs. Some clubs do advertise that they accept guests at the weekend, but you need to know someone actually to secure a tee time. Lytham and Hoylake are different. Lytham has its wonderful Dormy House, with which comes access to weekend tee times, and Hoylake has its Sunday Specials!

Anyway, we were happy to take advantage of this. On arrival, we were greeted in the new reception area, taken on a quick tour of the changing rooms and clubhouse and shown to the bar for lunch. The atmosphere in the bar (even in these strange COVID times) was convivial and after we had finished dissecting the morning’s round, we started examining the memorabilia on the walls. Hoylake has a long history of hosting major tournaments. Not only the 12 editions of The Open, but also the Amateur Championship, Ladies’ Amateur Championship and The Curtis Cup. It can also boast to have hosted the first Walker Cup (1921) and Home International (1902).

Major competitions

Most interestingly, to me at least, was that 2 of the 3 amateur winners of the Open Championship picked up their victories here. There was clearly something at this course that appealed to the amateur eye!

As a big Rory fan, I was also excited to play the course on which he won his solitary Open Championship. There are some other great victors. Tiger is at the top of the list, of course, with his masterful win in 2006, but also Walter Hagen and Bobby Jones. A worthy mention also to Arnaud Massy who won here in 1907 and has the distinction of being France’s only Open champion.

Colt Strikes Gold Again at Hoylake

While he may not have been the original architect, it did not surprise me that Harry Colt had undertaken major works. This is the 5th course that I have played in my World Top 100 quest and three of these have been Colt designs. The course has clever asymmetrical bunkering and single tier but subtle greens. Colt, however, did not get his hands on the course until the mid 1920s. The club dates to 1869 (the year of Colt’s birth) and the original 9 holes were laid out by Robert Chambers and George Morris. The club extended the layout to 18 holes during 1871, which was also the year in which it attained Royal status courtesy of the Duke of Connaught.

In addition to Colt, both Fred Hawtree and Donald Steel also revised and finessed the course prior to major championships. Earlier this year, Martin Ebert completed a set of additional changes ahead of The 151st Open Championship. This was due to be played in 2022, but due to this year’s postponement, will now take place in 2023. The most exciting of these changes is the new par 3 15th. This is now the shortest hole on the course (at 139 yards). It is, however, visually imposing as it plays over bunkers and the dunes to an elevated green looking out across the Dee Estuary. The professionals will play this as their 17th and it will be followed by the longest hole on the course as the 18th. The new tee box stretches the par 5 to just under 610 yards.

Playing the course

The course is a great challenge and there really are no easy holes. Even the first, which looks quite benign, has its challenges. Rob found to his cost that the out-of-bounds “mound” is easily crossed! While you do not get the sweeping views of some links courses, it really does have a beguiling charm. The 6th, with its quasi-blind tee shot over the hedges, the terrific 8th that takes you down into the dunes and the string of great holes from 11-15 are enough for a return visit on their own. The routing is clever – it is not a standard “out and back” course – and consequently you are facing an ever changing wind.

Thinking back, I cannot find a single weak hole. They work tremendously well and together the course is a masterpiece. As with all of these courses, I suspect that you have to play it a few times really to get under its skin. I did not find it as difficult as Royal Lytham, but it certainly wasn’t easy. I quite enjoyed the fact that there are no seriously long par 4s (except the 14th). This was also the first time I had played one of the Open courses as a 4-ball. It was fun to share the experience with 3 others for a change! I am definitely keen to get back there – if for no other reason than I want to have more time to explore the clubhouse.

Today’s match

So, as I mentioned, we were a four for today’s match. Remembering all of the shots is a little trickier for this, so bear with me (especially as this was the second round of the day!). Anyway, our format was four ball pairs – I was playing with Rob and we took on DTH and Willo. After his ridiculously good form at Formby, Rob had his handicap cut, so he was giving 2 shots to the rest of the crew.

Hole 1

The first is a long par 4, with a sharp dog-leg to the right that hugs the practice ground. As you will have seen from the picture above, there is literally no margin for error with the out-of-bounds line. The wind was helping today, which made the carry to the rough through the fairway much shorter. The only danger on the approach to the green is the OOB line – don’t miss right.

Unusually for this weekend, we all hit bullet straight drives. Only problem was that DTH and Willo, who went first, hit theirs too well and ran through into the wispy looking rough. Rob took a more aggressive line towards the corner, but carried it easily. I throttled back and guided my tee shot into the middle of the fairway. Much hilarity at my “grandma swing”, but it had yielded a good result. The humour subsided when we found the balls in the rough – which was definitely not wispy. My approach came up just short of the green, but I dinked one close and tidied up for an opening par which comfortably won the hole.

Hole 2

The 2nd is a fairly simple looking par 4. It is short at around 360 yards, but the fairway is narrow and the green is small and impossible to hold! The fairway bunkers are on the right, but there is gorse and thick rough on the left. A miss on either side means approaching over the green side pot bunkers. The green itself is a fiendish complex – raised with run-offs on all sides (if you avoid the bunkers).

Willo and I went left, Rob and DTH went right. Three good approaches all ran onto the green, across it and down the back. Willo, DTH and I all got back up and two-putted for bogeys. Short clearly doesn’t mean easy!

Hole 3

The first par 5 follows and, in these conditions, it was a relatively gentle hole. Three fairway bunker on the right protect a drive which is too straight. The hole turns to the left and there are three bunkers protecting the approach. These are off-set, with one about 30 yards short of the green. This gives the impression that the green is closer than it actually is. The green is long and thin from front to back.

We all played this hole pretty well – with two birdies, a par and a bogey (from me). All four hit the fairway easily and it was only me who failed to find the putting surface in regulation. Terrific approaches from both DTH and Rob resulted in a hole halved in birdies. Match stays at 1-up.

Hole 4

From a par 5 to a par 3. The first of the short holes presents a visually imposing hole. The green appears to be a lot further away than the yardage suggests. There is a seemingly huge swathe of thick rough to clear and three fearsome looking pot bunkers around the green. What is not clear from the tee box is that there are run-offs front and back. The green whilst apparently tiny on the tee box is actually a full 34 yards from front to back.

DTH took control on this hole and planted a well-struck tee shot into the middle of the green. Rob and I missed the putting surface and it was only down to a one-putt that I salvaged a bogey. DTH calmly rolled his ball up to the hole to level the match with a par.

Hole 5

More clever bunkering faces you on the tee shot at the 5th. This is stroke index 1 and measures nearly 490 yards from the back tees. Fortunately, we are not on the back tees, but it is still two good hits to make the green in two. The fairway is generous, but does not appear so from the green. It narrows around the bunkers in the perfect landing area. There is another swathe of rough that separates the fairway. The green is protected by two bunkers on the left and a run-off to the right side.

The competition on this hole was between DTH and Rob again, albeit I had also found the fairway with a good drive. As it was a stroke hole, a 5-net-4 from DTH won the hole and took us 1-down for the first time.

Hole 6

As noted above, this is a great hole. It’s not quite St. Andrew’s Road Hole, but there is definitely something a little bit daunting about having to hit over an area which is clearly OOB. Pick your spot and open your shoulders. Beware that there are two formidable pot bunkers on the right edge of the fairway. The left half of the fairway is the perfect spot from which to approach the green. There is a generous entrance to the putting surface, but it is a false front which will send your ball back if it is not carrying sufficient pace. A large bunker on the left and two on the right edge provide protection.

Rob, Willo and I all found the fairway, but none of us found the putting surface with our approach. I managed to get up and down for par to win the hole and bring the match back to level.

Hole 7

A 38 yards green set on an angle from bottom left to top right awaits your tee shot on this par 3. It is probably the most complex of the greens so far, with little swales and hollows. Whilst it may not be as formidable as the original “Dowie” this hole is no pushover. There are two coffin-style bunkers protecting the left and the right. There are swales on both sides of the green ready to collect anything slightly off-line.

My short game came to the fore again here, as I managed to get up and down from just off the front edge for a par. Back to one-up.

Hole 8

The 8th is a cracking par 5. It is only around the 500 yard mark, so not long again, but you need to give it your full attention. OOB runs all the way up the left, but as long as you are not too far off line there is a generous fairway for the tee shot. We are now at the extremity of the course down by the Dee estuary and the fairway, whilst wide, is very undulating. There are definite shade of St. George’s here and it is easy to see that a good drive could catch one of the humps and shoot off into the undergrowth!

For your second, you play over another swathe of rough which cuts into the fairway to a much narrower landing area. The undulations grow ever greater and the green sits atop a mound with a steep run-off at the front. Miss left and you are at the bottom of a steep hill, miss right and you are in a pot-bunker well beneath the putting surface. Once on the green it is relatively flat!

We were all in the game on this hole with 4 decent drives. The approaches were slightly off, and DTH was the only one of us with a putt for birdie. No short game magic on this one, and DTH’s par beat the set of bogey from the rest of us. All square again.

Hole 9

The front 9 closes with another relatively short par 4. More undulations as we play along parallel to the beach and the first proper green among the dunes. The tee shot should be played to the right side for the best chance of a flat lie. If you can get it to the top of the mound, then you will have a better view of the green. The green is set between the dunes and there is only a narrow entrance, with rough only a couple of yards off the putting surface. A bunker front left and back right provide additional protection to a tricky green which slopes from front to back.

Another well-fought hole, with three of us in play off the tee. Solid, if unspectacular golf, led to a half in birdies. All square through the front nine.

Hole 10

The back nine starts with a stunning par 4. The tee shot takes you out to three fairway bunkers which guard the far side of the fairway. The closest guards the corner as the hole then heads left at 45 degrees. The dog-leg is clever as it encourages you to try and cut the corner, but beware of the long grass if you do. The dunes also feed off the left side and are quite undulating, meaning that the closer you are to the left side, the less chance that you have of a flat lie. The green has no bunkers, but is long (40 yards front to back) and has a steep run-off to the right. Anything left will be eaten up by more thick rough in a little depression.

Rob dominated this hole with a huge drive up the left, great approach and comfortable putt to walk off with birdie. The other three of us all had comfortable “on in 3, 2-putt” bogeys. Back to one-up.

Hole 11

My favourite of the par 3s. This terrific hole plays straight back towards the sand and is properly framed between he dunes. The green is protected by a solitary pot bunker on the front right and has a wicked run-off all along the right edge of the green. Anything left will be eaten up by the thick rough. The green is set on an angle and there is a slight false front.

Rob and DTH shared the honours on this hole with well-constructed pars. Willo and I came away with another solid 2-putt bogey. The score remained at one-up.

Hole 12

The course guide describes “Hlbre” as “arguably the finest hole on the links”. It is difficult to disagree. The drive is played to a generous landing area, before the hole dog-legs sharply to the left. This time the fairway bunkers are split – two left and two right. The left side is also framed by more dunes covered in wispy but punishing rough. Even if you can find the fairway, the approach is difficult as the green is hidden behind two cavernous bunkers and a large sand dune. The obvious bail-out area to the right is a tough up-and-down, as there are swales which roll gently down below the putting surface. It is, however, better than going left which will really leave you in the lap of the Gods. The green has a number of subtle bowls and breaks.

I went left again, with Rob and Willo out right and DTH sitting pretty in the middle of the fairway. Having hacked out, I put myself below the hole in the swale on the right in 3, nudged one up close and had another bogey. Rob and Willo also got home in 5s, but DTH won the hole with a classic “FIR, GIR and two putts”. Back to all-square.

Hole 13

The par 5 13th continues a stretch of holes which is difficult to describe as anything other than perfect. Each shot on this hole is intricately designed to deceive and intimidate. We are now back onto a flat part of the course which makes the hole even more impressive. The tee shot requires accuracy, as the fairway pinches in from the right at the ideal landing area and has further protection from three bunkers guarding the left. The approach again narrows the further you get towards the green and the same trick is used, with a bunker on the left and rough encroaching from the right. The green is protected by a diagonal line of 4 pot bunkers. These serve both as a hazard and to trick the player in to thinking the green is closer than it is.

This hole confused me as my GPS app told me it was a par 3. This is where the routing of the course has been changed, but I had not realised this. It was, however, clearly a par 5! Whilst I recalibrated, Willo hit a lovely tee shot up the left hand side which stopped just short of the bunkers. DTH and Rob went up the right side, whilst I was short of the bunkers on the left as well. Rob was on in 3, whilst I was just short. DTH and Willo had missed right. The short game worked again, as I chipped close and walked off with par, as did Rob. Neither DTH or Matt could get up and down, so we won the hole. Back to one-up.

Hole 14

The 14th is another strong hole. Even from the “short course” tees, this par 4 stretches out to 430 yards. It is another dog-leg, although not as severe as the 10th and the 12th. The main protection comes from the bunkers again, with three on the fairway and five surrounding the green. A narrow landing area between the bunkers gives you a good look at the green, which is long and thin. If you are offline, not only will you have to deal with the rough, but you will also be firing at the thin bit of the green. This brings four of the five bunkers into play. The green is quite flat, but has a little bank on the left hand side that will feed the ball back towards the middle. But this will also feed the ball towards the right hand pot bunker if you are anywhere right of centre.

This is not an easy driving hole (and by now there was a little fatigue setting in!), so we were all struggling off the tee. There were a selection of decent recovery shots that had us all up or around the green. Willo (as you can see below) had found the front bunker, but played a delightful shot and had a comfortable 2 putt for bogey. The rest of us followed suit and the hole was halved.

Hole 15

We turned behind the 14th to the new 15th hole. It is stunning and I am devastated (and slightly perplexed) that I only took one photo! From the tee box the landing area looks absolutely tiny. It is, in truth, not huge, but there is a lot more space when you get up above the sandy wasteland that frames the approach. There is a false front which fees anything short back towards the front bunker. Run-offs on all sides mean that you need to be very accurate to hold the putting surface. If you are going to miss, short right is probably best. Anything long will run off the bank and down into the dunes towards the beach. This is going to make an excellent 17th hole when The Open returns and could be a card-wrecker if the wind is up.

For today, none of us hit the green, but we all managed to escape with boring bogeys. Hole halved again, so we remain 1-up with 3 to play.

Hole 16

The 16th has another “zig-zag” fairway, which has large landing areas that pinch in to become very narrow in the ideal spots. Two bunkers protect the left side and the OOB line returns as the hole borders the practice area. The shortest route to the hole will mean taking your approach over the corner of the OOB. If you want to avoid having to do that, stay left and treat this as a full three-shotter. The fairway narrows substantially for the lay-up, but it’s worth getting up as close as you can. The green is well protected with three intimidating pot-bunkers in front left and two more on the right.

Despite getting a decent drive away, it took me a further 4 shots to get the ball on the green. DTH also struggled with this one, so we left it to Rob and Willo to battle it out. Both hit solid approaches and were on in 4. Two putts each and the hole was halved again. One-up and two to play …

Hole 17

The 16th has taken you almost back to the clubhouse, and the 17th plays back out to the edge of the property again. The fairway curves gently from right to left until. you get to the fairway bunkers. There are two non the right edge and one on the left. After this the hole dog-legs sharply to the left. The green is again protected by one short bunker and two on the edges. The green is long and thin and has numerous swales running along both sides.

I missed right, while the other three all found the fairway. A good recovery shot had ben just off the green and I managed to chip on close. Rob, meanwhile, had serenely put another approach into the middle of the green. DTH had gone big and air-mailed the green, and left himself a long pitch back with the pin all the way at the front. Willo was safely on in three. Rob uncharacteristically left his putt a little shorter than we would have liked, but was still just closer than me. DTH and Willo were safely in for 5s, but we now had two putts for the match. As I addressed the ball, a siren went off in a nearby garden … we looked to find a local with a mega-phone doing a bad job hiding behind a hedge! Unusually, this did not distract me and I rolled the putt into the middle of the hole. Match secured 2 and 1.

Hole 18

The walk from the 17th green to the 18th tee is the only slightly incongruous part of the course. There is a concrete path that joins the two and a “tennis court” style fence that separates you from the adjoining street. Anyway, once you have navigated along the side of the course to the tee, the 18th opens up in front of you. The left side of the fairway will give you the best angle from which to approach the green. Two bunkers protect the right edge and one on the left. The green has a narrow entrance between the two front bunkers, and there is a further bunker on the left.

With the game gone, I unfurled the once frequent high right miss! Rob and Willo cracked their drives down the middle and DTH headed off left. Rob and Willo both played good approaches into the green and came away with comfortable pars. DTH and I got on in 3 and two-putted for bogeys. Rob’s back nine 39 (3 over gross) was the highlight of the afternoon. I was pleased with my 87 that kept my run of sub-90 scores going for the World Top 100 courses. This is a brilliant links course and deservedly sits in the world’s top courses. I will definitely be back to Royal Liverpool!